


I Will Never Leave You

by aesterismo



Category: Persona 3
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-12-19
Updated: 2012-12-19
Packaged: 2017-11-21 15:08:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 960
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/599161
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aesterismo/pseuds/aesterismo
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>They have a ritual, every Christmas, that neither can bear to break.</p>
            </blockquote>





	I Will Never Leave You

**Author's Note:**

  * For [highboys](https://archiveofourown.org/users/highboys/gifts).



> #basically the one where minako doesn't die and spends every christmas with her boyfriend

The funny thing about Christmas was that everything seemed brighter just before Christmas Eve.

It wasn’t just the grand display of lights at Paulownia Mall or the subtle perk to her dormmates’ smiles that struck Minako the most.  It wasn’t the hopeful whisper in the air, the prelude and the aftereffect of knowing that the world wasn’t ending any time soon, either.  Knowing they did what they had to, the rest of the universe and circumstance be damned – that didn’t give Minako quite the same sense of joy every time this season came around.

No, it wasn’t the season at all.  It was what this season represented, what it meant for her - for **them**.

Her birthday almost always fell on the same week as Christmas, but Akihiko insisted on keeping the gifts for each occasion separate.  It didn’t seem fair, he said, to treat the day his girlfriend was born the same way as a commercial holiday.

“So you think the meaning of Christmas is basically commercialism too,” laughed Minako, leaning back on the bench by the mall’s central fountain to stare up at Akihiko, who had just reemerged from Be Blue V moments ago.

“I didn’t say _that_ ,” the older boy’s brow furrowed, but his eyes showed no sign of actual irritation.  “—Well, now that you mention it, I guess it’s true?  Christmas pretty much is a commercial holiday nowadays.”

“Yet we all still buy into the idea of it.”  Akihiko gave a sage nod at this remark, though Minako continued on.  “Or maybe it’s not even that we all buy into it.  More like we’re so caught up in the idea of a status quo that when everyone gets excited about Christmas,” the brunette shifted to give her boyfriend room to sit beside her, gloved hand tucked against her cheek while she clung to the conversation, “you can’t help but get excited to.”

“That can’t be the only reason you always seem happier around Christmastime.”  It was hardly an accusation, the atmosphere turned tense as soon as Akihiko’s arm dropped from its place around Minako’s shoulders.

“U-Unless…”  The silver-haired male laid his gloved hands in his lap, wringing them together with such vehemence that the smile vanished from Minako’s face.  “You really don’t believe that couples who spend Christmas with each other…stay together longer?”

Minako had three reasons why Christmastime was her favorite time of the year.

The first was simple: everyone she loved was happy.

Her old friends spoke more freely, gave more willingly, and gathered around the fireplace of the old Gekkoukan dorm lounge (as it was easy to reserve at this time of year, when most of the dorm’s current inhabitants had long gone home to spend time with their families) for food and the longest catching-up chat the moment they arrived.  The topics of discussion ranged from where they imagined themselves living in ten years to the latest and greatest creations of an inventive storyteller (now television personality with his own solo talk show about to go on the air in the spring) who went by the name of Iori Junpei.

And the best part?  No one ever, _ever_ left hungry or unhappy.

The second was a little harder to explain: her Christmas ritual with Akihiko.

They just passed their three-year anniversary in October, but lately even the warmth they once felt when they started living in a little apartment downtown was beginning to fade.  Distance, a two-and-a-half weeklong hiatus from their relationship, even the very real possibility of the world ending– they had gotten through so much together.  It was hard to miss the signs that the passion between them was waning, however, so much that Minako had been looking forward to this year’s Christmas more than ever.

If not to rekindle the flame that burned ever so brightly when they were still in high school, Minako wished with all her heart that they could at least remember how they connected in the first place.

Friendship turned to longing and affection that gradually grew into love was far from an uncommon success story, yet the tales her classmates shared often brought insecurities to the forefront of her thoughts. 

What if they really weren’t right for one another?  What if their fairytale romance – the shy, handsome golden boy of the school takes a shine to the high-spirited, mysterious transfer student and grows to see her as much an equal to him in spite of their age difference– really was heading for its premature end?  What if Akihiko had never truly fell in love with _her_ but instead the image of a perfect young woman that wasn’t what she appeared to be?

The third and final reason was intangible – but it was also the most important one.

It was the faint twinge of nostalgia to Akihiko’s sheepish grin when her palm curled over his shaking hands and the tentative upward quirk of mouths pressed warmly against one another that reminded her.

It was the cold brush of leather-cled fingers that tapped the tip of her nose in a brief chiding motion and the practiced pout of chapped lips that elicited a shared chuckle and reminded them both.

It was the frosty tinge to the changing wind, the quiet jingle of a new memoir from the jewelry store (a star necklace, Minako discovered once the gift box was opened, that would join the moon and the silver crown bracelet in her jewelry box after they returned home), and the gentle murmur against the swell of her temple above her left ear that reminded her.

Every Christmas was indeed merry, thought Minako, as a light but insistent pull at her scarf bringing her back to rest comfortably in Akihiko’s embrace, so long as they were together.


End file.
